Jakunen Hana
by LizaBean123
Summary: Shika Shiki is the most beautiful girl in her school. Ichigo meets her and falls for her beauty. But, with so many boys flocking to her, he has no clue about how to win her over and earn her affections.
1. Chapter 1

**Brand new story, featuring my most favorite substitute shinigami (and the only one), Ichigo Kurosaki! I've actually had three chapters of this story saved on my laptop for a while, so I was excited when I found them buried in my folders. After a little editing, I finally deemed this one presentable. The title, Jakunen Hana, means Lonely Flower, just so you know. I thought it fit my OC, Shika Shiki, perfectly. I do NOT own Bleach, I merely own Shika. So, without further ado, sit back and enjoy the first chapter of Jakunen Hana!**

* * *

A teenage girl, no older than 17, sat at her desk. She stared absentmindedly out the window as her teacher taught the class the newest lesson. The girl sighed and closed her eyes.

"Hey, Shika-chin*."

A poke to her shoulder woke her up. She looked over at the girl who had poked her. A nondescript girl with plain brown hair and plain brown eyes.

"Can I borrow a pencil? Mine broke."

Shika nodded and reached into her bag.

"Thanks, Shika-chin. I'll give it back after school."

Shika shrugged and turned back to the window.

"You can keep it, Kokoro."

"Really? Thanks!"

Shika nodded and continued to stare out the window. She wasn't a very talkative person. She tended to keep to herself most of the time. Whenever she did talk, she would be very blunt and honest. She wasn't one to dawdle when she had something to say.

"Hey, Shika-chin, the bell rang! Let's go to lunch~!"

Shika looked up and nodded. She started to follow Kokoro but was stopped by one of the male students. She vaguely recognized him from her class.

"You're…Makihara-kun, right?"

The boy nodded and blushed. Shika looked up at him with one delicate black eyebrow raised. She motioned for him to hurry up.

"Um…Shiki-chan, will you please go out with me?"

"You like me?"

The boy nodded and his blush worsened. He looked into her deep gray eyes and quickly looked away.

"Why?"

"Well, because…you're beautiful."

If Makihara was going to say anything after that, it was cleanly cut off when Shika slapped him. He looked down at her with wide eyes.

"Sh-Shiki-chan?"

Shika looked up at him with anger plainly written on her face.

"I really hate guys like you."

Shika walked away. Makihara was left staring after her while holding his bruising cheek. She walked to the sakura tree that she always ate under and saw Kokoro and saw her other friend Yuuki there. Yuuki was running her fingers through her mousy brown hair. Kokoro looked up when she heard Shika approaching.

"What took you so long, Shika-chin? I thought you were right behind me!"

"It was probably some guy who wanted to go out with Shikacchi**! Am I right, Shikacchi?"

Shika nodded and sat down. She leaned against the trunk of the sakura tree and closed her eyes.

"So, who was it this time, Shika-chin?"

"Makihara-kun."

"The boy who sits behind you? I thought he had a girlfriend…"

Shika shrugged and kept her eyes closed.

"Wow, Shikacchi, you even have power over boys who are taken!"

"That's because Shika-chin is the most beautiful girl in school~!"

Makihara exited the building, still holding his cheek, which was a deep red. Kokoro and Yuuki looked over and saw him.

"Is that him, Shikacchi?"

Shika opened one eye halfway and nodded.

"Yeah, that's Makihara-kun."

Kokoro noticed the way he was holding his face.

"Hey, why is he holding his cheek?"

"I slapped him."

Kokoro and Yuuki gasped and looked over at Shika.

"Why did you slap him, Shika-chin?"

"I hate guys like him."

"What do you mean, Shikacchi?"

Shika fully opened both eyes and ran a hand through her black hair.

"I mean, guys like him only like girls because they're pretty. I hate guys like that. Guys should like girls because they're sweet, or they're smart, or they're funny, not just because they have aesthetically pleasing faces or bodies. That's why I slapped him."

Yuuki looked amazed at the words that had just exited her friend's mouth.

"Wow, Shikacchi, that was a great speech~! I guess sometimes people get so caught up in your beauty that they forget you actually have brains!"

Shika looked over at Yuuki with a cold stare. Yuuki looked panicked.

"Sh-Shikacchi?"

"Yuuki, you don't think that way, do you?"

"W-Well, sometimes…"

Shika stood and brushed off her uniform skirt. She started heading back to the building.

"Shikacchi!"

"Shika-chin! Don't leave because of Yuuki!"

Shika went into the classroom and grabbed her bag. She threw the strap over her shoulder and left the building. She could hear Kokoro scolding Yuuki for what she said. Shika had decided to skip the rest of the day, so she left the school grounds and began walking toward her home. As she walked, she passed Karakura High School, where the students there were also eating their lunch. A group of four boys looked over as she walked by. One, a boy with brown hair, whistled at her.

"Damn, look at her! She's hot!"

A boy with bright orange hair looked at her for a second and then at the brown-haired boy.

"Shut up, Keigo."

"No way! I gotta talk to her!"

He ran over and stopped next to Shika.

"He-"

Shika quickly cut him off. She held up her hand in front of his mouth, preventing him from talking.

"Stop. Just don't even start trying to talk to me. I hate guys like you."

"But,-"

Shika slapped him and began walking away. She walked to her house which rested across the street from the Kurosaki Clinic. She had been there a few times, mostly whenever her older brother got hurt doing something stupid with his friends. She heard the phone ringing but made no move to pick it up. She set her bag down next to the door and slumped down on the couch.

"Hello, you have reached the Shiki residence. We are not able to take your call at this time, so please leave a message after the beep."

"_SHIKACCHI!"_

Shika flinched at the volume of Yuuki's voice.

"_Hey, Shika-chin. Yuuki's really sorry for what she said earlier during lunch…"_

"_I really am, Shikacchi! Please forgive me!"_

"_Ow, Yuuki! That was my foot! Sorry, Shika-chin, we're in the bathroom right now…"_

"_Yeah, and it's really uncomfortable!"_

"_Shut up, Yuuki! Anyway, can you call me or her after school? She's staying at my house tonight, and she seems like she really wants to talk to you."_

"_I really do, Shikacchi! Please call!"_

Shika looked over at the answering machine and sighed. She knew she had overreacted to what Yuuki said and she knew she'd have to call one of them once school ended. She laid down on the couch and turned on the television. Don Kanonji's show was on and she frowned immediately.

"Useless damn show…"

She quickly changed the channel and saw that the news was on. It wasn't her first choice of programming, but it would have to do until school was over. As she watched, she felt her eyelids grow heavy and she fell asleep to the sound of a report on a bank robbery.

When Shika woke up, she heard knocking on the door. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"How long was I asleep?"

She heard the knocking again and stood to answer the door. When she opened it, she saw the boy with bright orange hair from Karakura High. He looked slightly embarrassed. She looked at the sky and saw that it was turning an orange-purple color; the color of the sunset. She looked back at the orange-haired boy and frowned. She was a bit upset that her nap had been interrupted.

"Can I help you?"

"I wanted to apologize for the way my friend acted today… Well, he's not really my friend, but…"

"It's fine. It happens all the time. You didn't have to come over and apologize for him."

The phone began ringing but Shika paid it no mind.

"Are you sure? You seemed kinda upset…"

"Trust me, I-"

"Hello, you have reached the Shiki residence. We are not able to take your call at this time, so please leave a message after the beep."

"_SHIKACCHI! Why haven't you called yet? Are you still mad at me? I'm really sorry, Shikacchi! You know I can say some dumb stuff sometimes… Please forgive me, Shikacchi…"_

"_Yuuki! Give me back my phone! Stop bothering Shika-chin! She'll call when she wants to! I'm sorry for disturbing you, Shika-chin!"_

The message ended and Shika looked back at the answering machine.

"Sounds like you have some pretty adoring friends."

Shika shrugged. She turned back to the orange-haired boy and looked up at him.

"I guess so. I appreciate your apology, but it really wasn't necessary."

The boy nodded and turned to leave. Shika began closing the door, but stopped when she saw him turn around. He eyed her uniform.

"What school do you go to?"

"I go to Ishiyama High School."

"That expensive private school?"

Shika nodded and the boy left. She closed her door and went over to the phone. She dialed Yuuki's number and waited for her to answer.

"_Shikacchi! I'm so happy you called!"_

"_Yuuki, are you calling Shika-chin again?"_

"_No, Shikacchi called me!"_

"Yuuki, you knew I'd call."

"…_Yeah, I know… But, I get worried sometimes… You don't really show your emotions that much, Shikacchi. Sometimes I get scared that you hate me…"_

"Yuuki, I could never hate you. You're one of my closest friends."

"_R-Really? I can't believe you just said that to me, Shikacchi!"_

"_What did Shika-chin say, Yuuki?"_

"_She said I'm one of her closest friends!"_

"_She did? What about me, Shika-chin?"_

"You are, too, Kokoro."

"_Yay! We love you, Shikacchi/Shika-chin!"_

Shika smiled and giggled a bit. She could hear the two girls gasp on the other end of the line.

"_Shika-chin, did you just giggle?"_

Shika hung up and erased the messages from her answering machine. She went up to her room and sat down on her bed. She knew her mother wouldn't be home for the next two days; she was on a business trip. Her brother would be home soon and he'd cook dinner for the two of them. Shika looked out her window and saw the orange-haired boy from earlier. He was on his bed as well and appeared to be talking to someone who wasn't there.

"That strawberry kid lives there? He must be Kurosaki-sensei's kid."

* * *

*Adding –chin to the end of someone's name is a cute way of showing familiarity; Kokoro always adds –chin to the end of Shika's name

**Same as adding –chin; Yuuki always adds "cchi" to the end of Shika's name


	2. Chapter 2

**I feel pretty good about this chapter. Makihara, the poor boy Shika rejected last chapter, makes a reappearance, and he's acting like a total douche. I didn't plan on that, it just kinda happened. When I first wrote this chapter, I was watching Jerry Springer, and the chapter turned out like a white trash convention with baby daddies, hookers, strippers, and trannies (no offense if you are any of those things). I immediately deleted it and wrote this. The moral of that story is: _Never_ write _anything _while watching Jerry Springer. It could turn out pretty bad. I want to thanks the reviewers, as I always do. Thanks CelesteKiMoon, for being the first and only reviewer of chapter 1. Anyway, I don't own Bleach. I only own Shika, Kokoro, Yuuki, and Makihara. **

* * *

Shika walked into the school and saw Kokoro and Yuuki running over to her.

"Shikacchi!"

"Shika-chin!"

Shika almost smiled at her friends, until she heard the scream that echoed throughout the school.

**"****IT'S SHIKA-SAMA!"**

Shika sighed as she walked through the halls of Ishiyama High School. The students in the school had started calling her Shika-sama when it became known that most, if not all, of the boys in school had a crush on her. Kokoro and Yuuki pushed through the crowd and clung to her sides.

"Hey, Shikacchi, who was that orange-haired guy you walked to school with? Is he your boyfriend~? What school does he go to?"

Shika looked blankly at Yuuki and shook her head.

"Yuuki, he lives across the street from me. He's not my boyfriend, and he goes to Karakura High."

Yuuki frowned.

"Oh…I was hoping he was your boyfriend."

"Why?"

"Because, Shikacchi, a beautiful girl like you deserves a guy! And you two looked so cute together~!"

Shika sighed and walked away. She left the building and sat underneath her favorite sakura tree. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the trunk. She had plenty of time before the bell rang, so she decided to take a quick nap.

* * *

_Shika left her house while tying a bow into her hair. It was a bow that her older brother had given her for her birthday and she loved it. It was a simple light pink that stood out perfectly against her sleek black hair. She finished tying the bow and locked the door. She was adjusting the uniform sweater she wore and saw the orange-haired teen across the street. He noticed her and walked over to her._

"_You're name's Shika, right?"_

_Shika nodded and began walking to her school. The mystery boy followed quickly after her._

"_You don't talk much, do you?"_

"_Not really."_

_He nodded and the two walked in silence. When they passed Karakura High, she expected him to turn and walk to his school. When he didn't, she looked puzzled._

"_Shouldn't you be going to your school?"_

_He looked embarrassed._

"_Pretty girls shouldn't walk alone."_

_Shika looked up at him with wide eyes. She hadn't expected him to say that. He didn't seem like the type to readily compliment a girl. However, she was happy he didn't leave to go to his own school. She liked walking with him._

"_You think I'm pretty?"_

_His face turned a deep scarlet. He quickly looked down at her, and then looked away._

"_Well, yeah… I mean, you're…you're beautiful…"_

_For the first time in her life, Shika blushed. Her eyes widened from shock and she looked down at the sidewalk. That was the first time she had let a guy call her beautiful._

"_Um…thanks…"_

_The rest of the walk was silent. The two were trying to calm their red faces. Once they reached Ishiyama, Shika looked up at the boy. Her face was still a light shade of pink, as was his._

"_Thanks for walking me here, Strawberry."_

_The two teens could hear whispers all around them._

"_Is that Shika-sama's boyfriend?"_

"_Why is he scowling? He's with Shika-sama! He should be on Cloud 9!"_

"_Man, I'm 10 times the guy he is! Why is Shika-sama with him? Why not me?"_

"_Shut up, Shika-sama should be with me!"_

"_You know, he's kinda cute…"_

"_But he doesn't deserve Shika-sama!"_

"_You say that about everyone…"_

"_The only guy who deserves her is a God!"_

"_Look, Shika-sama is blushing!"_

"_She looks so cute!"_

_The boy blushed at the whispers. He cleared his throat and looked down at Shika._

"_It was no problem, Shika. By the way, my name's not Strawberry, it's-"_

_The bell at Karakura High was faint, but he could hear it. He groaned and looked down at her. Shika smiled at him, making him go red yet again._

"_Tell me after school, okay? I'll wait here for you."_

_He nodded and ran off to go to his own school. Shika sighed and prepared to face the questions that would shoot at her throughout the day. She knew it wouldn't take long for word to spread that she had been walked to school by a scowling, orange-haired boy._

* * *

Shika's eyes fluttered open and she looked down at her watch. She still had a few minutes before school started, so she decided to stay at the tree. She thought about the orange-haired boy and felt her face heat up just at the memory of him. She quickly shook her head to clear her mind of him.

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

She could hear footsteps approaching and buried her face in her knees. The person who had walked over sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Shika-chin?"

Shika looked over at Kokoro and sighed.

"It's that guy I walked here with… I can't get him out of my head… I just…can't stop thinking about him… And when I _do _think about him I start blushing…"

Kokoro smiled at Shika's problem. She already knew what was happening to her friend.

"Shika-chin, could it be possible that you have a crush on that guy?"

Shika's face grew red once more and she quickly devised a plan to distract her friend.

"Koko-chin! I don't even know him!"

Kokoro's smile grew. Shika already knew that her haphazard plan had worked.

"Did you just call me Koko-chin?"

Shika nodded and Kokoro's smile grew even bigger.

"That's the first time you've ever called me that, Shika-chin!"

Shika was proud of herself for distracting Kokoro. She hadn't really expected her plan to work.

"So, Shika-chin, tell me about this guy."

Shika groaned and slumped her head on her knees, this time, resting her chin on them. Her plan had failed.

"Well, he's got that crazy bright orange hair. He's always scowling. Well, he's been scowling whenever I've seen him. It doesn't seem like he ever smiles…but, I bet if he ever_ does _smile, it'd be beautiful."

Shika squeezed her eyes shut once she was done speaking. Her blush had gotten worse at her description of the mystery teen. Kokoro squealed.

"Aw! You _do _like him! Shika-chin, that's so cute! This is your first real crush, isn't it?"

Shika nodded and Kokoro squealed again.

"That's so cute, Shika-chin!"

Shika groaned and looked over at her easily excited friend.

"Please don't tell Yuuki. She'd be freaking out even more than you are."

Kokoro nodded.

"Don't worry, Shika-chin. I won't tell her~! I mean, we've known each other longer than we've known her, so of course I wouldn't spill one of your secrets~!"

"Thanks, Kokoro."

"What happened to calling me Koko-chin?"

* * *

After school, Shika left the building. She had made sure to leave before Kokoro and Yuuki. She knew they'd wonder why she stayed behind if she left with them. She hoped that the orange-haired boy would get there soon, before her friends saw her standing there. She cursed her luck when Kokoro and Yuuki walked over.

"What are you waiting for, Shikacchi?"

Kokoro smiled. She knew exactly what Shika was waiting for. She grabbed Yuuki's hand and began dragging her away.

"Come on, Yuuki. We don't want to bother Shika-chin."

Yuuki started walking, not noticing that Kokoro had turned back to Shika. She nudged her and winked at her.

"Good luck with that guy, Shika-chin."

Shika smiled, it was small, but it was still there. She looked grateful.

"Thanks, Kokoro."

Kokoro left with Yuuki and Shika stood nervously. She relaxed when she saw who she was waiting for.

"Finally…"

The other students looked over when they saw the bright orange hair. All of them began whispering once more when Shika left with him.

* * *

One student in particular looked extremely bothered by Shika's departure with the strange boy.

"Geez, he doesn't deserve to be with Shiki-chan."

"Dude, Makihara, she doesn't like you. I think she made that pretty clear when she hit you. Besides, that's Ichigo Kurosaki. He's a tough guy. He'd _kill _you if he heard you talking about Shika-sama."

Makihara frowned as he stared after Shika.

"I don't care. I'm perfect for her. I don't know why she doesn't see that."

Makihara's friend looked concernced.

"Makihara, she _doesn't_ like you. I don't think she'd even want to be _friends _with you. She only hangs out with Kokoro and Yuuki. Speaking of Yuuki, did you see where she went? I was gonna ask her if she'd go to a movie with me."

"She left with Kokoro. And, Shiki-chan _does _like me. She just doesn't want to show it. I'll make her mine. Just watch."

"What about Megumi, your _girlfriend_?"

Makihara shrugged.

"Screw Megumi. I want Shiki-chan, and I _will _get her."

* * *

**I am SO sorry it took so long to get this posted, by the way. FanFiction kept giving me error messages, and it took DAYS to be able to edit this and post this chapter. I hope it seems worth the wait, I'm not sure it was worth such a long wait... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I PROMISE updates will come quicker from now on!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, here's chapter 3 of Jakunen Hana. I figured since it took me so long to post chapter 2, I should go ahead and put chapter 3 up here. I have to be honest, I feel like I may have rushed this chapter a little bit. Hopefully, you guys like it, but I'm not too sure about it. By the way, Shika's brother, Tohru, makes his first appearance in this chapter. That's pretty fun. And, Ichigo gets the bejesus scared out of him. It's always fun to scare orange-haired kids. Well, _I _think it is, anyway. I do not own Bleach, I simply own Shika, Tohru, and whatever other characters don't come from Bleach. The only things I really own are my laptop, my stories, and a microwave. Yup, that's pretty much it. I'm kinda broke... Anywa, enjoy chapter 3 of Jakunen Hana!**

* * *

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Shika."

Shika smiled at the bright-haired teen and felt glad when she saw his blush.

"It's fine, Strawberry."

He looked down at her.

"My name's not Strawberry."

"Well, what is it?"

"Ichigo."

Shika stayed silent for a short while.

"So…it _is_ Strawberry."

"Damn it, it doesn't mean strawberry!"

Shika shrugged.

"Whatever you say, Ichi."

That was the first time she had ever called someone by a nickname without trying to distract them.

"Shut up, Shika_cchi_."

Shika looked up at him sharply.

"Only Yuuki can call me that."

"Didn't realize it was so sensitive."

Shika pulled on the sleeve of her school sweater.

"Well, she and Kokoro are my only real friends."

Ichigo looked down at her from the corner of his eye.

"What do you mean? Seemed like you had a lot of friends at your school."

Shika shook her head.

"Not really. All of them want to be my friend. They all think I'm the most beautiful girl at Ishiyama. The girls want to be friends with me because guys always flock to me, and the guys want to be my friends with hopes that I'll date them. It's rough. I mean, sometimes I wish I looked ugly. It would make my life a bit easier. I wouldn't have to deal with all of the sucking up, and the fakeness. I hate it… And, I have to constantly keep up my appearance. If a girl is pretty, but dresses poorly or had bad hair or bad teeth or bad nails, she's considered to be a slob. I hate people thinking that about me, because I know that's not me. Any money I make at my job goes toward clothes, my hair, my teeth, or my nails. I probably sound really conceited, but…oh well."

"You take the appearance thing to a whole new level."

"Well, what about you? I'm sure people make judgments about you based on your hair color or your facial expression. I'm going to guess and say your hair is naturally that color, but I'm sure no one believes you unless they really know you. People probably judge you based on that. The fact that you're always scowling tells me that people also think you have a bad attitude. You constantly look angry, which I'm sure causes some altercations. Your hair might start fights, too. How many times have you gotten in fights due to hair color?"

Ichigo shrugged. He was amazed at how well this girl could read him. He had only known her for a day and she already knew what people thought about him.

"Too many to count."

Shika nodded.

"I've been harassed because of my looks, as well."

She lifted her hair away from her left ear and Ichigo saw a deep scar just below her ear. Even though it was healed, it still looked bad. He frowned at the sight of it.

"I got this from a girl in my junior high who was jealous of me. She thought that she could use scissors to ruin my face. This is the end result of that."

She lifted her sweater sleeves and Ichigo could see countless scars and scabs.

"These are from other girls. They all get jealous, for whatever reason, and attack me."

"They get jealous because they know they could never compete with a beauty like you."

Shika blushed and looked down at the ground. She was grateful that they had reached her house.

"Thanks for walking me home, Ichigo. Can you tell Kurosaki-sensei that Tohru says thanks for fixing him up?"

Ichigo looked confused but he nodded.

"Thanks."

The door to her home opened and a man, around the age of 21, leaned against the doorframe. He glared at Ichigo, who suddenly felt nervous under the gaze of the large man.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing with my sister?"

"Tohru-nii! Leave him alone! He walked me home from school!"

Tohru frowned and ruffled his sister's hair. He messed up the ribbon she had carefully tied in.

"Tohru-nii, you messed up my ribbon, you jerk! Go inside!"

Tohru shook his head.

"Not until this guy's gone."

Ichigo ran to his home across the street and slammed the door once he was inside.

"Way to scare him off, Tohru-nii."

Tohru shrugged.

"What? 'S not like you like him or anything. How could _anyone _be attracted to that hair?"

"Same reason girls are attracted to you."

"No, that can't be it. He's nowhere near as good looking as I am."

"No, I think it's the other way around."

Tohru frowned at his sister.

"You saying you think that kid's attractive?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Where the hell did you get your taste in men?"

"From you."

Tohru smiled and chuckled.

"Quick-witted. Now I know for sure that you're my little sister."

"You seem a lot happier about that than I am."

Tohru laughed and pulled Shika into the house.

"Get your ass upstairs. I'm making dinner tonight. I'll call you down when it's ready."

Shika nodded and went up to her room. She dropped her bag on the floor and laid down on her bed. Turning her head, she looked out of her window. Ichigo was in his room, sitting at his desk. He was holding a stuffed lion toy.

"That's cute."

Her eyes widened when its mouth started moving and it flailed its arms and legs around.

"Wh-What the hell…?"

Shika got off her bed and moved over to the window. The stuffed lion was still flailing and its mouth was still moving.

"Is that toy…yelling?"

Ichigo's window was open, so Shika opened hers. Sure enough, she could hear a loud voice, screaming at Ichigo. And the only other thing in that room was the stuffed lion.

"No way…"

Ichigo looked out his window at that moment. His eyes widened when he realized that Shika could see, and hear, the stuffed lion he was holding. He could see her jaw drop when it jumped from his hand and started walking around. He was stunned when her eyes rolled back and she fainted. She obviously couldn't handle it anymore. Ichigo saw the door to her room open and her brother walked in. Ichigo turned his eyes away and kicked the lion off of his bed. He didn't want her brother, who obviously had a big influence on her, thinking he was weird or creepy. It didn't take long for the door of the Kurosaki clinic to be knocked on. He heard his father open the door.

"Tohru, good to- What happened to Shika?"

"She passed out. I don't know why."

"Bring her in."

He left his room and went down to where his father was. Shika's brother was sitting beside the bed he had laid her down on. Tohru looked over when he heard Ichigo walk in.

"Didn't know this kid was yours, Kurosaki-sensei."

"Yep! Ichigo's my boy!"

The yelling was what woke Shika. She looked over and smiled when she saw Tohru.

"Don't scare me like that, Shika! I thought I was gonna have to call mom!"

Ichigo and his father were both intrigued in the semi-panicked look that took over Shika's face.

"You didn't, though, right?"

Tohru shook his head.

"Good. Can we go home? You're still cooking tonight."

Tohru smirked and pulled her off the bed.

"Let's go, kid. Thanks, Kurosaki-sensei."

Tohru pulled Shika from the clinic and back to their home.

"You pass out like that again, and I'll kill you. You had me scared to death, Shika."

"Sorry, Tohru-nii."

"Whatever, kid."


	4. Chapter 4

**I sincerely apologize for lateness. I've got a HUGE history paper due, so I've been working my ass off on that for the past 2 weeks. Anyway, that's not the point. This is the 4th chapter of Jakunen Hana, and this time we'll see a bit of a different side of Shika. I don't know how well it's been conveyed, but Shika is a person who doesn't like to lose control. She doesn't show her emotions that often. Near the end of this chapter, when she breaks a bit, she reacts the way she always does/always will when she loses control over herself. So, this chapter is just a small insight into Shika's life, and I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

During dinner, Tohru looked over at Shika. She was sitting quietly, eating her food that he had prepared. He was a decent cook. He wasn't great, but he never gave them food poisoning.

"You know, you've been kinda quiet lately, kid. Usually, you talk more around me. You feeling alright?"

Shika nodded and said nothing. Tohru looked troubled but he kept quiet. He knew that Shika would tell him if whatever was bothering her became too much for her to handle. She was independent. She always did things on her own, but she knew if she couldn't deal with something. She always asked for help if she thought she needed it. If she didn't think so, she'd keep quiet.

"You know you can talk to me. Just let me know, okay?"

Shika nodded once more.

"Mom might not be here to help you, but I am. You need to remember that. Yeah, you annoy the hell outta me, but you're my little sister. I'm supposed to protect you. Obviously, you need protecting, and it's killing me because I don't know how to help you. You need to let me know."

"I can handle it."

"Is it school related?"

Shika nodded.

"…Are you getting hurt?"

Tohru noticed how Shika avoided the question and frowned.

"Who is it?"

She still didn't answer. Tohru sighed. He knew he wouldn't be getting any more information from her, so he gave up.

"If you get hurt too bad, I'll find out. You know I will. You can't hide this forever, kid."

"I know."

Her answer gave him a bit of hope. He was hoping that she would still tell him everything, the way she used to. The two of them had been very close, but after their father died, they grew apart. Their mother started working more, so Tohru had to take over her jobs around the house. And, their mother started becoming tougher on Shika. She said Shika never tried in school because she was so pretty. She said that Shika was pretty on the outside, but ugly on the inside. Whenever she was home, she would insult Shika's looks, intelligence, and personality. Shika simply took the insults and listened while their mother praised Tohru for everything he did. It put a slight strain on their relationship. Tohru hadn't noticed it until Shika had entered high school.

_Tohru had just gotten back from work. He saw Shika sitting on the couch, listening to their mother berate her once more._

"_Shika, I'm putting you in Ishiyama High School. I expect top notch work from you. You can't get by on your looks. They'll be gone, and then you'll be old, ugly, and stupid. I already see you heading to that point. Add in your disgusting personality and horrible work ethic and you'll be dead by the time you're 45."_

_Shika nodded and kept quiet._

"_You disgust me. I thought I raised you better than you are. It's all the fault of that no good, son of a bitch father of yours! He taught you that all you need is looks. I don't know why you'd listen to him! He was as ugly as a horse's ass and not even half as smart! That's how you'll end up, you worthless girl!"_

_Their mother looked up and smiled when she saw Tohru._

"_My handsome boy! How was your day today?"_

"_It was fine, Mom."_

"_I'm sure you did great at your job today, as usual! You're so hard working! Nothing like that pathetic excuse for a father, or like your worthless sister! I love you, my handsome man."_

_Their mother left the room after giving Shika a sharp glare. Tohru went over and sat next to his younger sister._

"_You alright, kid?"_

_Shika nodded._

"_You excited to be going to Ishiyama?"_

_Shika stood. She looked down at her brother with cold eyes._

"_Why should I be? I'm worthless and horrible. I'm not the golden child like you, nii-sama."_

By that point, he thought there had been irreparable damage, and he was close to giving up. After their mother had begun travelling for work, they grew close once more. Shika had stopped being so respectful around him. Her respectful attitude always made him feel uncomfortable. Once their mother had begun travelling, she calmed down around him, and their relationship began mending.

"_Tohru-nii! I'm home!"_

"_Hey, kid. How was school?"_

"_Fine. I got an A on my test today! Do you think Mom would be proud?"_

_Tohru sighed. Even after every horrible thing their mother had said, Shika still wanted to impress her and live up to her high expectations. It saddened him._

"_I think she'd be pretty happy, kid."_

"_Why do you call me kid?"_

"_Because you're 15 and I'm 19. I'm older, so I have the right to call you kid."_

"_Jerk."_

_Tohru chuckled. She had been more open and relaxed around him ever since their mother had been going on trips. She smiled more and started laughing again._

"_Get ready for dinner, kid."_

_Shika nodded and ran up to her room. Halfway up the stairs, she stopped and turned around. She ran over to Tohru, hugged him, and kissed his cheek._

"_I love you, Tohru-nii."_

_She ran back to her room, leaving Tohru stunned. That was the first time she had said she loved him._

"What are you thinking about, Tohru-nii?"

Tohru looked over at Shika and smiled.

"Nothing important, kid."

"So…you're thinking about your love life?"

"You're an evil sister."

Shika smiled.

"I know."

The phone rang and Shika stood.

"I'll get it."

"Yeah, you better."

Shika laughed and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Oh, it's just you. I was hoping Tohru was home."_

"He is. I was just the one who answered."

"_I don't see why you think I care about what you do, you worthless child. Put your brother on the phone."_

Shika turned to Tohru.

"It's Mom. She wants to talk to you."

Tohru nodded and stood. He took the phone from Shika and went into another room. Shika grabbed a piece of paper, wrote a quick note, and left the house. She could see Ichigo looking down at her from his window. Running a hand through her hair, she began walking to the park. She sat on a bench once she arrived at her destination. She was expecting a call or text from Tohru that would tell her when their mother would be home. She wasn't surprised when she heard someone walk over.

"Hey."

"Hey, Ichigo."

"You looked kinda upset when you left your house. Are you okay?"

Shika shook her head.

"Not really. My mom's gonna be home soon, and she'll just insult me and make me feel horrible until she leaves. It's not just that she insults me, I can handle that. I'd be perfectly happy if that's all it was. It's that she says horrible things about my father. My father was a great man. He was so funny and so nice, and she constantly calls him stupid and ugly. It hurts to hear her say those things."

"Why don't you say something?"

"She doesn't listen to me. I think I'd die of shock if she actually heard one word I said to her. She's either ignoring me or insulting me."

"What kinds of things does she say?"

"She insults my looks, my intelligence, and my personality. Basically, anything she can."

"You don't believe her, do you? I'm gonna be honest, we haven't known each other that long, so I don't know everything about you. But, I do know that you're smart, probably smarter than anyone else I know. Well, not everyone, but that guy's a freak so it doesn't count. You're beautiful. You have to know that. No one can compete with a beauty like yours. And, your personality is just as amazing. I don't think you have any flaws at all, from what I know."

Shika's face turned bright red and she looked away from him.

"Th…Thanks, Ichigo…"

Shika's phone rang, making her jump. She looked at the screen answered.

"Hey."

"_Mom's gonna be here in 2 days. She'll be here for 3 days, and then she's leaving for another 3 months."_

"Okay, thanks."

"_Maybe you should stay with someone while she's here. She was pissed when I answered. Said that her 'good for nothing daughter' shouldn't be the one answering the phones when she called. I don't know what her problem is, but I think you should stay with Kokoro or Yuuki until she leaves."_

"I will. Thanks, Tohru-nii."

Shika hung up and put her phone in her pocket.

"When's your mom gonna get here?"

"In 2 days. She's staying for 3, and then she's leaving for 3 months. Tohru-nii wants me to stay with someone while she's here."

"Who are you gonna stay with?"

"Probably Kokoro. I'm not sure."

"You could stay at my house. My dad wouldn't mind."

"I'll ask Tohru-nii."

The two sat in silence until Shika looked over at Ichigo.

"You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope that train will take you, but you don't know for sure. But, that doesn't matter. Can you tell me why you wouldn't care?"

Ichigo shook his head. Shika smiled.

"That was my dad's favorite riddle. He used to say it all the time. I finally figured out the answer the day I met you."

"What's the answer?"

"You wouldn't care, because you'll be together."

"How did you figure that out when you met me?"

Shika shrugged with a small smile on her face.

"I just did. I was pretty happy when I figured it out. I had been so puzzled by that riddle for years. My mom never figured out the answer, which made my dad kinda upset. When he told her the answer, she just said that it was stupid. That's probably when I started to ha-"

Shika's phone rang, cutting off her sentence. She looked at the screen and answered with a small sigh.

"Hi, Mom."

"_Don't call me 'Mom.' You sound so disrespectful. Call me 'Mother', like a good daughter would."_

"Okay…Mother."

"_Good. You finally did something right. I got a copy of your report card in the mail. I'm starting to think that you simply don't care about your education. It was pathetic."_

"But, I got all A's…"

"_Yes, you did. However, if you want to measure up to __**my **__expectations, you'll get all A+'s. I'm trying to hard to make you a good person, and you're fighting me the whole time. Sometimes I think I should have just gotten an abortion like your father said I should have. Neither of us wanted you. Your dear brother only tolerates you. Nobody in this family wants you around. I hope you understand that."_

There was a click on the other end. Shika was in too much shock to close her phone. She couldn't believe that her mother had said something like that before.

"That's not true, Mother… Daddy…he…he didn't say that…"

"Shika, are you okay? Shika?"

Shika didn't know that Ichigo was speaking to her. It didn't register in her mind that he was even there. She was too wrapped up in thinking that her father, the man she admired, didn't want her.

"Shika!"

Ichigo shook her, which reminded her that was there.

"Huh?"

"Why are you crying?"

"I-I'm not…"

Shika felt her cheeks and was shocked to find tears. She had never cried after speaking to her mother.

"I…"

Shika shook her head and stood from the bench. Without another word, she left the park.


End file.
